March 22, 2017

Panini America’s never-been-done before Aficionado Basketball brand takes its lead, at least aesthetically, from 1996 Aficionado Baseball, a product from a proud collecting era that made a name for itself with just one solitary release. Fast forward more than 20 years and Panini America’s Basketball Product Development Team is preparing to introduce NBA collectors to the Aficionado experience with Friday’s release of 2016-17 Aficionado Basketball.

Back in 1996, Aficionado stood out on the strength of its base-card aesthetics. As you’ll see in the Quality Control Gallery that follows, the good looks return — along with a bevy of modern niceties that weren’t necessarily commonplace two decades ago. As 2016-17 Aficionado Basketball’s solicitation suggests, the product is “designed, built and tailored to be a true collector’s product.” On average, each hobby box (eight cards per pack, 10 packs per box, 12 boxes per case) will deliver one autograph, one memorabilia card and 20 inserts or parallels.